Month: January 2021

While millions of COVID tests have been administered throughout the U.S. and beyond, a new diagnostic tool promises to deliver results faster than any existing test. According to researchers, this new tool could help expedite mass testing, making it easier for people who need to quarantine to do so in a timely manner. Read on to discover how you could find out if you have COVID faster than ever before. And for more insight into the latest COVID research, Dr. Fauci Just Issued This Warning About Another New COVID Strain. In a Jan. 4 preprint of a study published through medRxiv, researchers at England's University of Birmingham announced the development of a new means of testing for COVID that takes under five minutes to detect the virus. Unlike prior means of testing for COVID, the test d...

SAN JOSE — The coronavirus outbreak at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center after a well-meaning staff member pranced through the Emergency Department in an air-powered tree costume on Christmas Day swelled to 60 cases Tuesday, according to Kaiser. That’s up 16 from the 44 infected employees originally reported by Kaiser over the weekend, which included the death of a hospital reception clerk. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Kaiser said all 60 cases involved employees who were in the ER on Christmas Day. In addition, doctors have contacted 70 patients who were treated and discharged from the ER on the holiday and Covid tests are being “made available” to them. The outbreak has drawn international attention and remains perplexing. Not only were staff members wearing masks in the...

SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, shown in red, have heavily infected a cell in this colorized scanning electron micrograph. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. NIAID/NIH/Flickr hide caption toggle caption NIAID/NIH/Flickr SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, shown in red, have heavily infected a cell in this colorized scanning electron micrograph. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. NIAID/NIH/Flickr ...

“Preliminary epidemiologic information suggests that this variant is significantly more contagious than the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So far, there is no evidence that the B.1.1.7 variant causes more severe illness or increased risk of death,” officials said.

A COVID-19 outbreak at a rehabilitation center is under investigation in Webster, according to town health officials.Fifty-one of the 58 residents of Brookside Rehabilitation and Healthcare have tested positive for COVID-19, and three patients have died since the week before Christmas, according to the Webster Director of Public Health Jennifer Sullivan. Six residents of the medium and long-term care facility have been hospitalized for a higher level of care and two residents who have tested negative have been released into the community, Sullivan said. The staff has “gone above and beyond any and all procedures and protocols since the beginning of this pandemic to ensure the well-being of their residents and staff,” Sullivan said in a statement, adding the center has been “vigilant ...

4,178 new COVID-19 cases, 63 additional deaths reported in Massachusetts Number of COVID-19 hospitalizations approaching 2,500 Updated: 5:05 PM EST Jan 5, 2021 The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 4,178 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 379,633 since the start of the pandemic. State health officials also reported 63 new confirmed COVID-19-related deaths to the state's total, which is now 12,464. An estimated 79,406 cases are active across Massachusetts, according to Tuesday's report. The DPH reported Monday that there were an estimated 81,449 active cases across the state.Click here ...